Retinal diseases such as macular degeneration, retinal dystrophies, and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) afflict more than 8.5 million Americans. As the population ages, this number will grow significantly, and many people will suffer from vision loss due to degeneration of photoreceptors and/or retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Although vitamin or gene therapies may be helpful in early-stage retinal diseases, once photoreceptors are lost, replacement via retinal transplantation or implantation of microchips is the only treatment option for the end stage. The overall goal of this fast-track project is to develop a retina implantation instrument kit that will allow retinal surgeons to harvest, dissect, and transplant sheets of undifferentiated fetal retinal tissue with its RPE and then transplant these cografts into the subretinal space. These tools consist of an implantation instrument (a hand piece and flexible, non-sticky nozzles), a special microscissors to allow easy harvest and dissection of consistently good preparations of retina/RPE sheets, and a dilator probe to allow easier and more accurate insertion of the implantation instrument into the eye. Phase I will focus on proving the capability of the implantation instrument to provide the precise handling required, while demonstrating nozzle sizes suitable for use in the transplant of retina/RPE sheets. The versatile tools in the kit will be readily adaptable and highly marketable for use in other transplant applications such as fundamental laboratory studies or for delivery of other material to the retina. [unreadable] [unreadable]